The Woos and Woes of Love
by QuaintEssence
Summary: James Potter is hit. The blasted emotion has struck, and now he has to face the wraths of the twisted thing they call love. Well, if he's going down, his friends are going with him. MWPP (of course!) LoveHate... Read and Review!
1. Default Chapter

The Woos and Woes of Love

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Ch.1 Summer Surprises

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K.Rowling (except all that is mine)

James Potter and Sirius Black were stretched lazily across the Potters' plush couches, enjoying their last blissful hours of freedom. They had a good reason to be lazy, for they had spent nearly the whole day testing new pick up lines on various muggle girls, playing gobstones and chess, and flipping through the latest Quidditch magazines.

Truly tiresome work, that is.

Suddenly Sirius snapped from his comfortable stupor, and grinned. "So, looking forward to seeing Evans again, James?" 

"Yeah, sure Padfoot," James replied sarcastically. "I'm also looking forward to rubbing McGonagall's feet." 

Sirius's smile flickered for a second at this traumatizing image, before grinning and moving on to a more pleasant thought. There were a lot of things Sirius liked to do, and aggravating James to no end was quite fun. He just _loved _to push people's buttons.

Red ones, big ones, small ones, sparkly ones, any button would do. But since there were no buttons around, he decided to instead provoke James. 

"Aw, come on, when are you going to admit your truly undying love for-"

James's face twisted into a disgusted scowl. "Get real! Never in a million years could I see myself with, with _her_." 

Sirius laughed. "Aw jeez Prongs, she's not _that_ bad." 

James glared at him. "YES, she is! She's horrible, always getting me into trouble," his voice went several octaves higher, "Dumbledore, lookie what Potter has done! Oh me, oh my, I'm peeerfect, and I neever break the rules, blah blah blah." 

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "She's never turned us in before. And, we hardly ever get caught."

"Well, on the rare occasions that we do, we know who's to blame." 

Sirius started to shake his head, but then he stopped suddenly and a scowl replaced his boyish grin. "You know, you're right," he said, as James nodded in agreement. "She's an awful person, plus, she's quite ugly with-"

"She's not ugly!" James cut in abruptly, but then quickly covered his mouth. Starting to grin again, Sirius cocked his head. "I, I mean, she's not ugly, she's uh, atrocious! Yeah, that's it, ugly's just not strong enough a word."

"Right," said Sirius, a now amused look dancing across his face.

James looked up at him. "Oh, shut up!" he yelled, as he stomped childishly up their winding staircase. Laughing heartily, Sirius followed suit, exaggerating his steps as he thundered after him. Mrs. Potter appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What are you two up to? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" 

Sirius grinned at Mrs. Potter, then James, before saying, "Sorry Mrs. Potter! Jamesie was just mad cause I found out about his little crushie wushie on-"

"Sirius!!" James roared. He lunged at him, causing two almost fully grown males to go tumbling down the stairs. 

Mrs. Potter walked half-way down the staircase and put her hands on her hips. James cringed, anticipating a long scolding and plenty of stern lectures on correct indoor behavior. What he wasn't expecting was for his mother to smile endearingly and clasp her hands in pleasant surprise. "Oh... my little James has a crush? And who _is_ this lucky someone?"

He would have gladly accepted the scolding.

Before James could stop him, Sirius smiled and said, "Ah, it is but the infamous Lily Evans." James shot a death glare at him, before looking back at his mother.

"No, I don't. I, er- I just.." James's scowl turned into a blush, which, unfortunately for him, both Sirius and his mother caught sight of.

"How delightful! I expect to meet her sometime in the near future, ohh, what a fantastic girl she must be." Before James could say protest any further she ran up the stairs, smiling.

"Er, I'm tired, gonna go to bed, n- ugh, Sirius!" Sirius had pulled James back down just as he was about to escape. 

"Ah ah ah, you think you can get away that easily?" Sirius asked, obviously intending to torture him on the interesting new findings.

"I s'pose not. Listen, I really don't wanna-" James started, in his last desperate attempt to get away.

"Alright, so tell me, all these years you've been asking her out- they weren't just to annoy her?" 

James sighed. Sirius was much too persistent.

"Well, I dunno," he replied in a defeated voice. "I mean, she's just so different from the other girls. For some odd reason I'm attracted to that."

Sirius raised a brow. "Attracted to that? As in... want to snog her, attracted, or want to get married and have bundles of kids, attracted?"

"Snog," James replied quickly. Then he grinned. "What, you think I'm goin' soft?"

"Nah..." Sirius flashed a grin to match his. "But I was worried about you for a second there, mate."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I know this chappie is a short one, but it's sort of like as test to see if I should go on. If you liked, please review, it would really really make my day. Thanks! **: )**


	2. Adventures of the Hogwarts Express

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The Woos and Woes of Love

Ch. 2- Adventures of the Hogwarts Express

A/N: Hello! Thanks loads to the wonderful people who reviewed me, you gave me so much motivation i just _had_ to hurry up and post **: )**

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shrk-bait- Ah, my first reviewer... thank you thank you thank you! You make me feel so good, hope you enjoy the rest~

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saffs- Hey, thanks for the awesome review! You said to inform you when i update, did you mean send it to your e-mail? lol.. doesn't matter if you did, cuz I already sent it : )

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random-reviewer : ) glad you liked it, oh by the way, _James _may not be doing the dragging, but perhaps someone else (or.. someone(s) else) kay, I'm not really good at the subtle thing.

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Fashionably Late- Wow! thanks so much for writing such a fantastic review.. i hope a can live up to your expectations!

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Harry Potter Obsessed- lol, i think that name suits us all ; ) but anyhoo, thanks for the review! 

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James+Lily=love- Thanks mucho, I'm really happy you liked it! Okie dokie, here's more...  
  


"Alright, now be good! I don't want any letters sent home this year," Mrs. Potter instructed sternly. Suddenly her expression softened. "But, do have fun, while you still can."

"Oh, come off it, Hannah," Mr. Potter put in, wrapping an arm around his wife. "You make it sound as if they were heading off towards the morgue, not Hogwarts."

Mrs. Potter sighed. "I suppose you're right. But please, be careful."

"We will, mum," James recited his common response flatly. "Don't worry."

"See ya later folks," Sirius said, as he and James turned to start heading towards the Hogwart's Express. Just as Mrs. Potter bid her last farewell, Sirius swerved abruptly around, and pointed to something off in the distance.

"There," he said, grinning maliciously, "is Lily Evans. Oy, EVANS!" 

Lily Evans turned around, her eyes searching the crowd. "Over here!" cried Sirius, waving like a maniac. Doing a double take, Lily stood for a couple seconds with a confused look upon her face, before giving a short wave and heading in the opposite direction. 

Now, it wasn't so strange that Sirius was waving to her. They had always been on okay terms with one other, and as he was known to act crazy, waving like a maniac wasn't exactly unusual. No, the odd thing was seeing James Potter stare daggers at Sirius, while Mrs. Potter stood on her toes to look over her son's shoulders, smiling and looking at Lily adoringly. Not wanting to think about it, she shrugged it off and ran to catch up with her friends.

"Hello!" she greeted, running up to two girls leaning against a brick pillar. Her best friends, and roommates, were Katherine (more commonly known as Kat) Prose, and Charlotte Dabila. Katherine was the outrageous one of the group, and was very popular with the boys. She had exuberant brunette curls, and sparkling chestnut eyes. Charlotte was, without a doubt, the complete opposite of Kat. She was still very pretty, with light brown hair falling slightly past her shoulders, and soft hazel eyes, but was not nearly as outgoing. She tended to be very shy around anyone aside from friends or family, and remained the quiet one of the group. Lily fell in-between these two, as she stuck mostly to her studies, but would always speak her mind if she opposed something. Her soft scarlet locks and dazzling emerald eyes made her stand out, and although she caught the eye of many guys, she wasn't quite the dater that Katherine was.

Her friends grinned as she bounded over to them. "Hey Lily, how was your-"

Charlotte dropped off as she spotted a shiny gold pin engraved with an elaborate H attached to Lily's sweater. "Lily! You made Head Girl, congratulations," said Charlotte, beaming at her friend. 

Lily looked down at the pin and fingered it, smiling. "Thanks. Any idea who's Head Boy?"

"It's probably Remus Lupin," Kat guessed, as they started to head towards the train. "He was Prefect, wasn't he?"

Lily nodded. "Well that's good, he's pretty dependable."

"Yeah," Kat agreed distractedly, as she concentrated on lugging her heavy trunk onto the train. After several unsuccessful tries, she let out a tired breath and stood up straight. "Hmm..." she muttered, looking around the station. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted what she was looking for- a group of seventh year Hufflepuffs. Brushing off her skirt, she plastered on a flirtatious smile and took several strides towards the boys.

"Here we go," Lily shook her head, smiling.

From where they were standing, Lily and Charlotte could see Katherine's usual routine. The flip of the hair, the light touch on the shoulder, and the soft teasing laugh were enough to make the boys drop what they were doing and race to get to Katherine's luggage first. Grinning, she stepped over the trunk the wrestling teenagers were fighting to grab a hold of, and hopped onto the train. Lily and Charlotte followed suit, smiling at their fiendish friend's success.

********

"Hey Moony!" Sirius greeted, as Remus Lupin entered the compartment. Remus smiled and nodded in response, as he plopped into a seat next to James.

Glancing over at him, Remus saw James was brooding, his arms crossed and his lips forming a deep frown.

"What wrong?" he questioned the scowling boy. James only grunted in response and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Remus repeated, but this time directed his question to Sirius.

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "Just girl troubles, mate. Can't seem to get a certain red-"

"Shut up!" James hissed, running up to the slightly ajar door and slamming it shut. He gave a quick glance through the tiny window to make sure no one was around, before twisting back to face his friends. "Alright," he whispered, glaring venomously at Sirius. "I sort-of, I dunno-"

"Fancy Lily?" Remus finished for him, smiling knowingly. 

James turned to look at Sirius, who looked just as surprised as he did. "How did you know?" he asked, astonished.

"Well you're constantly fighting with her, and it's becoming painfully obvious that you're only doing it to catch her attention," Remus replied simply.

James's eyes widened. "Painfully obvious?! You don't think she-"

"Oh no," Remus reassured him quickly, "I'm sure no one else knows, you're a very good actor. But, I'm your friend. I'd have to be dense to hang around you all the time and not have a clue you liked her."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly.

"Anyways," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius's angry huffs. "That doesn't explain why you were sending Sirius death glares when I walked in here."

Scowling again, James glared at Sirius while he spoke. "This _prat_ thought he'd introduce her to my mum."

Remus stifled a laugh. "I see," he commented lightly.

"So," James began, breaking his glare from Sirius and turning to face Remus instead. "Any words of wisdom, oh wise one?"

"Well," Remus tapped his fingers on his trunk, contemplating the situation. "Just try not to tick her off too much."

"Mmm, and how do I do that?" 

Remus was about to respond, when he was cut off by Sirius breaking out into a huge fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" James asked his hysterical friend. "Why are you laughing, you dimwit."

"Sorry," Sirius gasped, "I just imagined Evans's face when she finds out you're Head Boy."

"You think she'll be mad?" James asked, turning towards Remus. He responded with a hesitant shrug.

James leaned against the seat and sighed pitifully. "I'm doomed." 

"Yup," Sirius commented, nodding.

"What should I... Evans!" James cut off his pathetic whine as Lily stepped into their compartment.

"Remus," Lily began, ignoring James. "They want us in the Prefect Compartment, I believe we've got to give out instructions."

"What?" Remus asked, confused. Then figuring out she had assumed he was Head Boy, he began, "Oh, I'm not-"

"Better get going," James interrupted swiftly, throwing Remus a meaningful look.

"W-what?" Remus asked, as James began to push him towards the door.

"You've got to go," James whispered into the disoriented boy's ear. "She'll kill me, just like Sirius said."

"Well she's going to find out sometime," Remus hissed.

James gave him a final shove out the door. "Good-bye then," he waved, grinning. Remus sent him an angry glare just as the compartment door slammed shut in his face.

"Well," James brushed off his hands, sitting back down. "Glad that's taken care of."

"Yeah," Sirius laughed. "For now." 


	3. Rules, Rules, and More Rules

The Woos and Woes of Love

Ch. 3- Rules, **Rules and More Rules**

A/N: Thanks loads to Rizz, would be no where without you! and also to my wonderful reviewers!! I love you all...

Suji- oooh, two reviews? awesome! thanks for the reviews, i'm glad you like!

shrk-bait- Wow! that is soo weird about the Charlotte and K thing 'great minds, my friend, great minds' 

duva- I'm glad you liked it, thanks for the review!

Saffs- Thanks mucho, i love ur reviews.. they're always so... uplifting? lol, thanks soo much, keep up the great.. reviewing!

Dulcis Caelum-Yay, more character : ) thanks for the super duper review, hope u enjoy!

"Remus Lupin!"

"James Potter!"

"Remus Lupin!"

"James Potter!"

"Remus Lu-"

"Miss Evans I will not argue with you!" Professor McGonagall screeched, her eyebrow twitching like mad.

Eyebrow twitching was not good. James Potter knew this from _many_ years of experience.

He watched the two arguing back in forth, waiting in silence for the doomed moment when Lily finally realized he had been lying.

"But, but he can't..." Lily protested weakly. It was almost pitiful how desperate she looked, her eyes pleading that her Professor had only gone temporarily insane.

"Well he is," Professor McGonagall replied briskly. "And that is that. The Head Dormitories are located near the Statue of Pompolar, and the password is Dragonbreath." With that she turned swiftly, striding down the corridor.

Lily watched after her for a couple of moments, before realizing that James was still present. "You," she growled, her eyes blazing with anger. "You, you insufferable prat, you _lied _to me!" 

James was about to reply, when suddenly a dazed look appeared on Lily's face.

"I'm Head girl," she said, looking a bit hysterical now. "You're Head boy." She made a weak sound of disbelief before turning on her heel and heading in the opposite direction.

James followed her, at a safe distance, of course, all the way to the Statue of Pompolar. Cautiously stepping in, he looked around the magnificient room donned with red and gold, and spotted Lily heading up the stairway.

"Hello Lily," James greeted suavely, taking a confident stride toward her.

She turned around and stared at him torpidly, before suddenly jolting out of her shocked state.

"There will be rules, Potter." Lily shot, staring at him with reprimanding eyes. "And you will follow them."

"Wh-"

"Rule number one," Lily began, ticking off a finger. "No girls in the dormitory."

James opened his mouth to protest he didn't want any girl but her, but she cut him off.

"Rule number two, no Sirius, and/or other friends. Rule number three, no parties. Rule number four, no mess, no crumbs, and no litter." Lily began to pace the room, staring thoughtfully at an invisible piece of parchment. "Rule number five, you will not step anywhere _near_ my room, in fact, I'd prefer you stay outside the boundaries of say, 25 or 30 feet."

James asked how he was supposed to get into his room, considering the dormitories were 6 feet apart. Lily ignored him.

"Rule number six..."

By rule number nine, James began to tune her out. He found counting the number of little fluffs in the carpet far more interesting then Lily's lecture. 

"Rule number thirty-seven, _absolutely_ no... Are you listening?"

Eight hundred and fifty-two, Eight hundred and fifty-three... _Hm. Oh, there's another. Eight hundred and fifty-_

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME??_"_

James snapped his head up in surprise, causing a painful crick in his neck. "W-wha, Oh. Yeah, of course I'm listening."

Lily crossed her arms. "Fine. What was rule number twenty-one?"

"Er..." Rubbing his sore tendon, James racked his brain to see if anything came to mind."No dungbombs?"

"That was rule number twenty-_six_!" Lily exclaimed. "Oh, you're impossible."

With that she stomped up the stairs and slammed the door shut, causing several objects to shake, and a nearby vase tip uncertainly. Sighing, James looked down.

Drats, she's messed up the carpet. Ah well. One, two, three...

"He_-llo_," Sirius greeted brightly, as he strode into the Common Room.

"Hi Sirius," James mumbled his reply, concentrating on his game of Exploding Snap with Peter. Looked up from the cards, he saw Sirius was grinning madly. "What're you so happy about?"

"Just had a date with Kat Prose," Sirius informed him, his grin widening. "That's some girl, I'll tell ya."

"Really?" James asked indifferently, as Sirius plopped down beside him.

"Yeah, did you know she likes Quidditch?"

"Wow," Remus commented in surprise. "You actually _talked_?"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, you know. We in got a few words between snogs." Remus rolled his eyes. 

"Why aren't you with _Lily_, James?" Sirius asked, nudging him. "I thought you two had your own cozy room." 

James threw down his last card. "Honestly," he said, as he collected pumpkin pasties from Peter, "I'm a bit afraid of her."

"Afraid of her?" Sirius repeated incredulously. "Mate, you're a disgrace to all of mankind."

"Shut up," James retorted defensively. "You'd be afraid of her too, especially with all of those stupid rules."

He shook his head, remembering the terrible memory.

"I brought in some Dungbombs," he began, his voice full of unforgotten misery. "Not to use in there, of course, but just for future pranks. Should've remembered it was rule number twenty-six. She got _livid_." He looked around at his friends, who were currently stifling their laughter. "Hey, it was scary, alright?"

Sirius folded his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Whatever you say, Prongs."

Remus shook his head and took Peter's place, as James dealt the cards. "Are you going to take Kat to Hogsmeade?" Remus asked, shuffling his pieces. "I've heard they're supposed to have a new Quidditch Display in Amelia's Art."

Sirius looked at him as if he was insane. "Uh, no..."

Remus looked over at James to see if he was missing something. "Er.. why not?"

"Well, let's see," Sirius began, as if explaining the Draught of Yupmeic to a First Year. "Hogmeade weekend is in, what, three weeks? That'd mean we'd be going out for an entire _month_."

Remus raised a brow. "And your point..."

"Oh, Moony, Moony, Moony," Sirius sighed in exasperation. "You _know _I don't go out with girls for longer than two weeks."

Remus stared at him incredulously. "But you said you liked her!"

"No I didn't. I said, 'she's some girl,'" Sirius interpreted. "And besides, there's _plenty_ of ladies out there. How am I ever going to get to them all If I waste my time with just one?"

Remus sighed in defeat, and decided that to fight any further would be pointless.

Sirius sat up and scratched his head. "I just hope she doesn't get too attached," he said, frowning. "Some of them can be incredibly difficult."

The Marauders rolled their eyes collectively at their endearingly frustrating friend.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed, if you did, please review : ) it would make me really really happy.... oh yeah, and sorry bout the feet thing, i know in England they use meters, but... what can i say, i am but only an American.


	4. Blunders Galore

The Woos and Woes of Love

Chapter 4- Blunders Galore

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K.Rowling (except all that is mine)

A/N: Okay, first of all, I've just got to say I've got the best reviewers ever! okay.. there were only five of you, but that's ok! (I'd really really appreciate more.. but you know) Anyhoo, you really know how to make a girl feel grand.

Miss Effie- Wow! I'm really really glad you like it, thanks for such an awesome review!

shrk-bait- lol.. no, i don't think you're strange! I greatly appreciate the reviewing, thanks bundles!

Aerandir- Woo, a new reviewer : ) I'm glad you like, thanks for the review!

Saffs- Thanks for keepin up with all the chappies, and thanks for all the reviews! they make me feel wonderful

Duva- : ) thanks for the tip about feet in England, never knew that. Thanks soo much for the review!

James shuffled a bit of his egg around, trying to form a face out of his morning meal. So far he had a pretty decent bacon mouth, and a spectacular hash brown nose. He decided just the right amount of pepper and a splash of pumpkin juice would make his creation complete.

This important task is what drew he attention away from the impatient red head behind him.

"Once you're finished," Lily began sharply, her sudden curt greeting causing James to start, and fling some of his fork full of egg in surprise.

James got up quickly and brushed off his sweater, to rid of scattered pieces of food. "Oh, yes, er- I'm finished."

Lily looked up at the ceiling and took a deep calming breath. "I've just come to inform you," she said, "that we've got out first Head Meeting tonight." At this point she shifted her eyes to glare at him. "And you'd _better_ be there."

James began to nod, but stopped half-way. Sirius's voice flooded through his mind, _A disgrace to mankind_, it rang, causing him to think the situation over. Ha! He would _not _let Lily Evans control him like this. Yes, it was time _he _got some power around here. "And what if I'm not?" He asked, crossing his arms defiantly.

James immediately regretted this.

"If you're not," she began, her voice venomous and threatening. "I'll take that rumpled up tie of yours and," at this point Lily proceeded to make some hand gestures and implications that were very unfit for virgin eyes of the first years.

"Oh.." James began, his eyes wide with fear. "Alright then. Just wondering, er- I'll be there." He nodded enthusiastically, as Lily flashed him one more warning glare.

"So," he began, just as Lily was about to turn away. "You want to go out sometime?"

Lily simply replied with the same indecent hand motions, before turning and walking away.

"Huh," Sirius commented, as James sat back down. "Never knew you could do that with a tie."

########

The Marauders took their usual seats in the back of the class-room, as far from the Professor's reprimanding eye as possible. They plopped down, taking out their standard quills and parchment. For James and Sirius, this of course was _not_ to take notes, but to plan their next Snape attack. Remus sighed at his two friend's less than adequate attempts at schoolwork.

"Mr. Lupin," Professor Thomps called from the front of the room. "Could I have a moment after class, please?"

Remus nodded, just as James and Sirius chorused childishly, "Ooooooh!"

Remus ignored their immature antics, tuning into the current lesson. At the end of class he broke away from his friends, and headed toward the Professor's desk.

Professor Thomps smiled briefly at Remus as she shuffled through the copious amounts of tests scattered on top her desk. Finding what she was looking for, she held it up, her smile fading.

"Did I answer something wrong?" he asked, his forehead creasing with worry. "I thought I'd studied hard enough, I was fairly confi-"

"No, no," the Professor shook her head. "It's not you, Remus. Your's looks marvelous. No, I'm afraid it's another student." Her frown increased as she examined the paper. "And, feel no need to be obliged, but I just thought this would be an excellent opportunity for you to further your Defense Against the Dark Arts practice. You mentioned something about teaching, correct?"

"Yes," Remus nodded. "You'd like me to tutor?"

"It would be most appreciated," she said. "The sooner the better, actually. Tonight after dinner, approximately six?" Remus nodded, and she continued. "Okay then, I'll tell them to meet you by the entrance."

#######

"Oh, this is going to be good," James whispered, grinning mischievously. "I can't wait to see his face!"

"I know!" Sirius responded eagerly. "This is going to be the best ever!"

The two were currently huddled together, conspiring their latest prank ideas on top of James's bed. Normally Remus would have joined them, but it was just about time to begin his tutoring.

"Well, I'm off," he said, grabbing his bulging bag. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye," Sirius called, pulling his head out of his and James's powwow. "Hope she's hott!"

Remus ignored this last comment, as he trekked down the stairs and toward the library. His footsteps echoed throughout the corridors as strode along consistently, only stopping to readjust his bag. It was a bit heavy, as he had filled it with a numerous amount of books, all concerning the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Turning into the grand library, a bit of dread appeared in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he was very glad for the opportunity, but he didn't quite want to spend his free time with someone who didn't care for their grades, or bother to persevere. Pushing open the large oak doors, he headed toward a seat on the far side of the room, near an extravagant window. Setting his bag down and settling into the uncomfortable wooden chairs, he spread his books across the table and waited, going over the lesson he had prepared. Glancing around, he hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long for this slacker to show up.

#######

"No, no, no," Sirius protested, waving his hand. "We've already done the _twisting torpedoes_, but we haven't done the _excellent explosives_."

James and Sirius were currently crouched under an Invisibility Cloak, debating over which items would best cause Slytherins harm.

"I'm positive it's the opposite, but, perhaps we'll have time to do both."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, it's..." he shoved up his sleeve and looked at his watch. "Half past seven, yes I suppose we've got time."

James suddenly stopped walking, causing Sirius to nearly stumble out of the robes. "James," he hissed, recollecting himself.

"Hmm..." he muttered thoughtfully, "Half past seven rings a bell. I feel as if I should be doing something."

Sirius gave a bored sigh. "You mean like, pulling a _massive_ prank on the Slytherins, or something? Cause if you haven't noticed, we're doing that right now. Or at least, _supposed_-"

"Oh no!" James cried suddenly, his eyes widening. "She's going to kill me!"

#######

Two hours. Two long, dragging hours passed by while Remus waited for the student, growing more and more furious at wasting his time. He had just dwindled away waiting for this no-gooder, when he could have been more appropriately studying for his up-coming Transfiguration Exam. Finally he gave up all together, and began shoving the books he had so carefully selected back into his bag. Frustrated at his failed attempt to perform a good deed, he whipped his bag over his shoulder, and began to stalk out the exit. He didn't notice the girl leaning against the doorframe, and nearly knocked her over when he threw open the large oak door.

"Oh, sorry Charlotte," Remus apologized, helping her stabilize herself. "Didn't see you there."

"That's alright," she said, brushing herself off.

"Are you heading out?"

Charlotte took a glance around the room before slowly nodding her head. "Yes, I suppose so." She walked through the door Remus held open for her, and they began to walk down the hallway.

Glancing at him she was a bit taken aback, for he was seemingly red with anger, and the usually calm boy now looked quite perturbed. "Something the matter?"

Remus looked at Charlotte and gave a frustrated sigh. "Well, some _halfwit_ was supposed to come in for me to tutor in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they didn't even show! I've been waiting for more than two hours, when I could of been spending my valuable studying time elsewhere. I mean, this person's dense in the first place for not passing such an easy class, but then they've got to prove they're even _more _of an indolent deadbeat by not showing up."

A few moments of silence passed by, before Charlotte spoke up softly. "It's not _that_ easy," she said, twisting a brunette lock habitually around her finger.

"Yes it is!" Remus protested, "I mean, what, you flick your wand and say a few words? What else is there to do besides read, but I guess I shouldn't assume they can, you know, considering they can't even obtain the basics. I mean, have some consideration, you know? I've been waiting there for two _hours_. The least the dimwit could do is show up."

Charlotte looked at the ground. "I've been here for two and a half."

"What?" Remus asked, a bit thrown off by random the statement.

Charlotte turned to look at him. "I- I _do_ try, it's just, you know, I don't..."

Remus's eyes widened. "Oh, oh gosh, oh-"

"I've read over the book hundreds of times, but, well I just..."

"N-no, no, it's not, oh gosh.."

Charlotte bit her lip, looking away from the stuttering boy. "I know it's probably easy, I just can't grasp some of the concepts, I suppose.."

Remus opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. "You said you were there?" he finally asked meekly. "Why didn't you go over to me?"

Charlotte gave a half-shrug. "I was only told we were supposed to meet at the entrance."

#######

James darted down the corridor, knocking over first years and a group of giggling girls in the process. His robes flew out behind him, creating a sort of Superman persona, as he zoomed down the hallway in haste. Finally he reached the designated meeting room, and skidded in with an abrupt halt.

"Hello," he greeted breathlessly, as all eyes turned towards him. Apparently this gathering for Prefects, too, because there were at least a dozen or so students present.

Lily, who stood at the head of the class-room, paused briefly at the interruption, but then went back to her instructions as if the disturbance had been non-existent.

"The Headmaster would like me to inform you that these meetings will be held once a week, at the same time. If you have any other obligations you may come talk to me, but if not, you're free to leave." At these words the clunking of chairs and rustling of notes sounded as the students got up to depart. One by one they filed out of the class-room, each looking forebodingly at James as they left, obviously signifying they knew of the wrath she was about to bestow upon him.

A slight whimper escaped from James's mouth as he took a tentative step toward her. She had her back towards him, as she gathered the files and papers she had prepared for the meeting. Finally after she appeared to have everything organized, she tucked the materials into her bag, and turned to depart.

"Okay," James started, cringing at the expected consequences. "I just want to say I'm sorry, and I got off track, and well, you see, I was dist-"

"Whatever Potter," Lily cut in, her face blank and expressionless. "It's not as if I didn't expect it."

She brushed past him heedlessly, an impervious frown present on her face.

Watching her disappear down the hallway, James felt worse than if Lily had yelled at him. Raging and ranting he could take, but the indifference she presented him with was hardly manageable. He _had_ to fix this.

"Lily!" James called, sprinting after her. "Wait!"

She paused and her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath of annoyance.

"What do you want, Potter?" she spat, her back still towards him.

"I want to make it up to you. What can I do to-"

"Listen," she started, swerving around to face James. A bit startled, James noticed her usual cool presage was now ruffled by the sparkling of tears. "I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking when he made you Head Boy, but I _do_ know that you aren't going to work, because you're obviously too involved with your own personal affairs, and that you're only going to make life more difficult for me. So, do us both a favor, and just leave it alone. I'll do all the work, and you can, as usual, take all the glory."

"Lily," James protested, as she turned to leave. "I wouldn't do that, I..."

"Oh yeah?" she shot back, her fierce demeanor back in play. "And why should I believe you? You're the same arrogant couldn't-care-less prat you were in fifth, sixth, and now seventh year. I don't think you'll ever grow up, Potter."

With a sinking feeling James realized she was right. So far he hadn't done anything to prove he'd changed in the least, and he knew if he was going to _ever_ get her to feel anything but loathe for him, he'd need some drastic differences. And drastic differences.. he would make.

A/N: hello! so, what'd you think? please let me know, good or bad, grand or sad, it doesn't matter, just review! one word, a novel, i'll take it. just push on that little bitty button and make my day spectacular. : ) thanks for reading


	5. Suffocating Silence and a very Shocked S...

The Woos and Woes of Love

Ch. 5- Suffocating Silence and a Shocked Sirius

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A/N: Yay! Thanks bundles for all the awesome reviews, I love em love em love em : )

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Lili **(And any other readers concerned with any or all character development)-** **Oh my! That was an incredible review, and due to the fact that I don't want to bore the readers with too much babbling up here, I have written a novel length response to your review at the bottom. : )**

mitchu- Wow! Thanks so much for the review, and I'm soo glad you mentioned the Remus/Charlotte episode.. the whole thing was a bit iffy to me, I wasn't sure if I wanted it in there or not. But, thanks to you, I'm glad I did!

I'm Happy and I know It- _I'm _happy, and _I _know it! Yay, I'll dance with you, because you gave me such a super review! Thaaanks, mucho!

Miss Effie- Oh wow, that's got to be one of my fav. reviews EVER! It was muy fabulous, and you make me feel _so_ good, thanks! (**cute name by the way : )** )

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Suji- Hey! I'm glad you liked the chappies, and, as to why James is such an idiot... the world may never know. : ) Thanks bundles for reviewing!

Shrk-bait- Yes, I agree the thing w/ Charlotte was a bit depressing... the whole chap was kind of, actually : ( But no need to fear! Remus will (at least attempt to) make up for it, if not in this chap. then the next! (Thanks for the review!)

Er- there was a person that left the sign-in blank, but whoever you are, thanks!

Magical Muggle- Yay, I'm glad I made your day : ) you made mine too!

Black Mistress- Oooh, fiesty : ) i hope this is fast enough for you, i really don't want to meet your flamer side lol, thanks for the review!

"And _then_ he..."  
  
Kat sighed. She had had to endure Lily carrying on about 'Potter' for nearly  
twenty minutes straight, and she didn't think she could take much more.  
  
"Lily.." She ventured weakly.  
  
"But, it's just the way he does that _stupid_ hair thing, and then..."  
  
Kat put a pillow over her face and exhaled deeply. Charlotte had gone off to get  
Defense Against the Dark Arts help, leaving Kat alone with the raging girl. Once Lily  
began ranting about James Potter, there was nothing they could do to stop her. Nothing except...  
  
Kat ducked out of Lily's view and crept towards the exit. She'd bet anything Lily  
wouldn't have notice if she'd of paraded across the room playing a tuba, but nonetheless she preferred not to take the chance. As she slid discreetly out the door, she could still hear Lily commenting endlessly on his atrocious table manners and awful lack of responsibility.

"Mmm?" Sirius asked absently, as he stood before their bathroom mirror.  
  
"I was saying," James continued exasperatedly, "I need to know what to do-"  
  
"Oh that's right," Sirius ran a hand through his smooth black locks and grinned to check for fragments of food his toothbrush had forgotten. Satisfied, he walked across the room and grabbed his cloak. "You need help in the Evans department, right?"  
  
"Yeah-," he trailed off as Sirius stood before the mirror, straightening his collar. "You dumping Kat tonight?"  
  
"Wh- oh, yeah," he said, turning to look at James. "How'd you know?"  
  
"You're wearing your break-up shirt." James replied simply.  
  
"Ah, yes," Sirius conceded, looking down at his jade green polo. "The green drops the tone of my eyes a little, making girls less mesmerized by my enchanting pools of blue, and therefore easier to detach."   
  
James shook his head. "Whatever you say, Padfoot. Anyway, what do I do about-"  
  
"Sorry, I've got to go," Sirius interrupted, tapping his watch pointedly. "See ya later."  
  
"Wait," James called, as Sirius darted towards the door. "I need to know what to do!"  
  
"Er-" Sirius lingered at the doorway, and paused slightly to ponder the situation. "Aren't you two on patrol tonight? I had a glimpse at the schedule- I think it started about half and hour ago. Maybe you should start by showing up."   
  
James's eyes widened and he should his head in disbelief. "Damn it!"

"And maybe if he wasn't so gosh darn.."  
  
Kat groaned in disbelief as she re-entered the Head Common Room. Lily was _still_ at it.   
  
Picking up one of the cartons she had retrieved from the kitchens, Kat scooped out a large amount of Charlie's Chunky Chocolate Chip ice cream, and shoved it into Lily's mouth.   
  
Charlie's Chunky Chocolate Chip ice cream was the _only_ remedy for anything Potter related.  
  
"Amd den he thwoo..." Lily mumbled, through a mouthful of the frosty delight. She looked at Kat in surprise. "Wah arw oo ouin?"  
  
Kat only smirked in response and Lily returned it with a smile dribbling with brown beads of chocolate. Lily gulped down the over-sized amount of the cold treat. She reached up to her chin and felt it was a bit sticky, and for some odd reason this set her off laughing hysterically. Kat joined in, mostly glad she had forgotten about her endless rant on James.  
  
"Thanks," Lily said gratefully, after she had sobered up a bit. She reached for another scoop and raised the spoon to her mouth, but stopped half-way. "When did you leave?"  
  
Before Kat had time to respond to this indolent question, James came bursting into the room.   
  
"Did I miss it?" he asked, panting. "Have you already patrolled?"

Lily wiped her mouth and reluctantly set down the carton. "No, if you would've  
checked the schedule you would've seen we don't start for another 15 minutes."   
  
James glowered. He was going to _kill_ Sirius.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I know." James responded in what he hoped a nonchalant fashion. "Just, er- wanted to be early."  
  
"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. She was in too good a mood to have him ruin her fun- just yet, anyways. She picked up the carton once more and dug in.  
  
Kat grabbed the spoon out of her hands and took a large bite. Her mouth still full, she looked up at James incredulously. "Woo mede uwr goween oo?"  
  
James raised an eyebrow. He was not familiar with this strange teenage girl lingo.  
  
"You mean you're going too?" Lily interpreted. Then she added, raising a suspicious brow at James, "You're _actually_ performing your Head Duties?"  
  
"Yup," he grinned, stuffing his hands in his robe pockets. "Have I ever let you down?" Lily opened her mouth to retort, but James quickly held up his hands. "Er- don't answer that."

  
  
"So," James began, as they wandered through their designated corridors. "Quidditch is going good..."  
  
"Great.." Lily replied flatly, staring straight ahead.   
  
"Yeah, you know I was made captain, and that'll help the team loads-"  
  
"If you don't mind," she cut in, annoyed as usual by James's gloating antics. "I'd prefer not to hear you go on about yourself all night."  
  
"Er..." he looked around, in hopes that an interesting topic would spark in his mind. Running a hand through his already unruly hair, with another glare from Lily, he spoke up again. "I think I've found a new play that will increase..."  
  
He trailed off as Lily huffed in annoyance and stomped down the hall in front of him.  
  
James knew full well Lily did not want to talk about Quidditch. He didn't know quite what else to talk about, though; all of the other girls had fallen smitten with him as soon as he even referred to that particular area of expertise, and adored when he even mentioned it. But, Lily was not like any other girl.   
  
Up ahead, he saw Lily scolding a couple of fourth years for snogging behind a particularly large statue, and docking house points.  
  
No, Lily was not like any other girl.   
  
The two Heads wandered the halls for another hour or so, amidst several exasperated squabbles between the two, and a very large amount of scolding and point deductions.

"So..." James began weakly, desperately searching for a topic of conversation that wouldn't make Lily fume. "What do you think about that new chapter in Charms?"  
  
Lily visibly brightened at the mention of her favorite subject. "Loved it. It's so interesting the way the selection of Laurence Spells can be cast at so many different angles."  
  
James was a bit startled at this comment. For one, Lily had never actually smiled in his presence, and one was definitely venturing to peak, and for another, he had actually commenced a topic that didn't result in her biting his head off.  
  
"Er.. yeah, contrasting with the Uealie Incantations, right?"  
  
James waited for her response, hoping desperately his brief skimming of the chapter had given him enough knowledge to respond intelligently.  
  
"Right," Lily nodded, as James let out a sigh of relief.   
  
_Yes!_ he thought, smiling. _It's our first decent conversation ever, in which there is  
absolutely no glaring and scoffing. Things are looking pretty good._   
  
At least, they were. Now there was silence. Awful, terrible, stabbing silence, seeping through the dark corridors and suffocating him.   
  
_What do I do?_ James wondered frantically. _Now it's all awkward and quiet and  
oh, I can't stand it...  
_  
He glanced over at Lily to see if he was in the same frantic predicament as he. She didn't appear to be... but, you never know with Lily.  
  
_The silence is deafening!_ His mind screamed, _It's eating me away, consuming me, devouring my surroundings... I've got to do something! Say something! Anything...  
_  
"So, do you wanna go out with me?"  
  
Good-bye decent conversation, hello glaring and scoffing.

"You're unbelievable," Lily huffed, as she took several long strides to distance herself from him.  
  
Perhaps silence wasn't all that bad.

"Do you hear that?" Lily whispered sharply, nodding in the direction of the trophy room.   
  
James paused and listened. Rustling and a numerous amount of other noises sounded from the room shielded by a heavy wooden door. Glancing at Lily, he shrugged. "Perhaps its a Snippet?"  
  
Lily ignored his ignorant comment and stepped up to the room. Not bothering to warn the past curfew delinquent, Lily swung open the door.   
  
"Sirius," she scolded sharply, as he stepped out of the room.   
  
"Hello," he greeted pleasantly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "What's new?"  
  
Lily put her hand on her hip and tapped her foot impatiently. "What's new is you've just lost twenty house points."  
  
"What!?" Sirius exclaimed. He looked over at James for support. "That's insane, dear Lily. Besides, Prongs here would never let you reprimand _me_."  
  
Lily laughed. "Do you think I need _permission_? I don't think so, in fact, that's another..."   
  
Lily trailed off as another person stepped out of the room. "Hey Lils!" Kat grinned, shutting the door to the trophy room and standing beside Sirius. "How's your patrolling going?"   
  
"Um... fine," Lily responded, failing to hide the her surprised expression. She looked from Kat to Sirius, shaking her head but not initiating any punishments.

Sirius grinned, and stepped over to James. "So how's it going?" he asked under his breath.

James scoffed. "How do you think? It didn't help that I came running in there like an idiot- thanks, by the way."

Sirius snickered. "Sorry mate, but you should've seen the way you scrambled down the stairs."

"Shut it," James replied. He looked over to where Lily and Kat stood talking. "So, when are you going to break up with her?"

"Right now," Sirius responded, and then he raised his voice to a normal volume. "Ready, Kat?"

"Sure," she nodded, and said a quick good bye to Lily.

The two sauntered off towards the common room, taking their time as they wandered through the dim halls.  
  
As they reached their destination, Sirius turned to Kat. "This was great, doll," he said, flashing Kat a flirtatious half grin.  
  
"Yeah, it was," she agreed, unlacing her fingers from her and Sirius's comfortable hold, as she stepped through the portrait hole.  
  
"Before you go," said Sirius, as he followed her into the common room, "we  
need to talk."  
  
"You're right," she agreed. "We do."  
  
_Oh, this was going to be difficult_, Sirius thought, almost pitying the girl. _The poor thing probably thinks we're 'advancing' in our relationship. It's really quite sad- and migraine inducing- when they get attached. _  
  
Sirius opened his mouth to inform her that their dating time was up, when she cut him off. "I think we should see other people."  
  
"Kat, you see-," Sirius cut off abruptly, as he registered her words and did a quick double-take. "What?"  
  
"Well you know, we've been going out for quite a while now," she explained slowly, tucking a fallen lock of hair behind her ear, "and I really don't like to get too-"  
  
"Wait," Sirius held up a hand, laughing disbelievingly. "What are you saying?"  
  
Surely this was a mistake. He had to be hearing things… after all, nobody breaks it off with such a gorgeous stud like Sirius Black.  
  
"We're done, Sirius," Kat broke it to him bluntly. This was going to be much more difficult than she'd hoped for. "I thought you knew I didn't date guys for long periods of time."  
  
"But..." Sirius sputtered. "You- _You're_ dumping _me_?"  
  
"I know," she consoled, her eyes darting to the side as if she were a bit bored.   
  
"Wait, let me get this straight," Sirius proclaimed, looking at the girl with amused hysteria. "_You're_ dumping _me_?"  
  
"Uh huh.." she replied in an offhand voice.   
  
"_You're_..." Sirius exaggerated his words, as he pointed to her, and then thrust his  
thumb into his chest, "dumping _me_?"   
  
"Right," Kat sighed. "Listen, I've got to go.." She sent him one more pitying glance before flipping her hair over her shoulder and taking dignified strides toward her staircase, the clopping of her high heels like mockery against Sirius's dumbfounded face.  
  
"_You're_ dumping _me_!?"

A/N: Ohh, poor poor Sirius. But not really, he deserved a bit of a reality slap, didn't he? Nevertheless, I still love him. Forever and ever.. Ok, sorry. Anyway, thanks for all your spiffy reviews (oh, spiffy- word compliments of Miss Effie) Oh yeah, and next chap. I promise will include the whole Remus and Charlotte situation : ) Hm. If you can't tell I'm feeling a bit hyper right now.. I wonder if anybody actual reads the A/N.. okie doke, goodbye, please don't forget to review! For some odd reason it seems as though the more reviews I get.. the faster I type. Hmm... (Hint Hint)

-By the way, I've just posted another little ficlet/one shot (probably) about Ron/Hermione, but no worries, I won't neglect poor Woos. If you have time, check it out.. (As Suji already fabulously has- thanks!) . The Over Sized Ego Returns : ) ta ta

Oh, but we're not done yet! I still have my extended response to Lili, and all who care about the current character development:

**Lili****- Wow! so much to comment on! alrite, here goes..**

**Remus- Yes, I agree with all of your depictions of him, and once the story gets rolling you should see some of those traits stand out a bit more.**

**Peter- Yeah, I tend to leave him out in this particular story, but I _did _add him in when the Marauders were just sitting around at the end of ch. 3, even if it was only slight. I know I should put him in more, and I'll try.. but it's just so hard to be kind to such an incredible git. : )**

**Ah, Lily- Let me just say, I COMPLETELY agree that she is a bit weird right now, but really we've only seen the encounters w/ James. I also COMPLETELY agree that the crying thing was a bit sudden, and that she _would _be tough, but at the moment she was just overwhelmed/frustrated at the prospect of carrying out all Head Duties by herself, as the 'old' James would have made her. Also, once she hangs out with her friends you'll see the more fun, laughable Lily that we all know and love. Potter just brings out the spite in her.**

**Let me just say, THANK YOU! it's incredibly flattering to have someone go into so much detail when reviewing, and your critisism was _very _constructive. It helped me realize some flaws, and some good things, so I thank you thank you thank you.**


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